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VDBiF: Mermaid Types — Description

Continuing my Otherworld species thingums. This information relates only to the Vampires Don't Belong in Fairy Tales series and is not strict folklore, though it is based in it.

These are the five most distinct types I could call to mind, there are undoubtedly more...

Mermaid/merman - The standard sort. They may have rounded or pointy ears, and always have fish tails. They may or may not have the ability to transform themselves into cats, wrens, or other creatures.

They may be kindly towards humans and other species, or they may be aggressive. Most of them live on a diet of fish and seaweed and other sea plants. Some of them are man eaters. Very much depends on culture and sub-type.

They can breathe air or water. They can live deeper down in the water, but tend to live closer to the shore.

More information here - Folklore Head Canon Challenge Day 3 - Mermaid

My example mermaid is Nerissa, from Miss Prince.

Nixie - Also known as a siren, and various other names in various countries. Known for singing and luring men and women to the water, usually to their doom. And Celia wonders why all the humans run away.

Nixie may have legs or a tail, and have more serpent or fish-like features than regular merfolk. They are the children of two different types of merfolk, which seems to make for crazy scale patterns and you gotta flip a coin if they have legs or a tail.

More info here - Folklore Head Canon Challenge Day 18 - Nixie

My example nixie/siren is Celia, from the Vampires Don't Belong in Fairy Tales comic and books, specifically Magic and Other Things in Bottles and Fairy Roots.

Merrow - Males have pig noses and sharp teeth. They have both legs and a tail, which is very unusual for merfolk. They have green hair and skin. They cannot breathe underwater without the aid of their magical red cloaks. Like other merfolk, they can be dangerous. They are quite rare.

My example merrow is Letitia, from The Map is the Treasure and Magic and Other Things in Bottles.

Selkie - A sub-type of fairy, they are a kind of changeling. They change into seals using a sealskin cloak that their parent/s make for them at birth. Without her cloak, a selkie cannot change her form and her magic is much impaired. If her cloak is taken, she is compelled to do whatever the person who took it says.

As with all fairy changelings, they are often the result of a pairing between a fairy another magical folk, in this case, a water-dwelling magical species.

The male version of a selkie is a finn. Male ones are much rarer than females.

See - Folklore Head Canon Challenge Day 27 - Selkie

My example selkie is... well it was supposed to be Gudrun, but she'd never wear a skirt like that.

Undine - Their green hair suggests they are a relative of the merrow, although it seems they can breathe underwater. They tend to live in lakes, and have legs rather than tails. They are of the 'stealing away humans because they're pretty' variety. They seem to be a kind of underwater fairy.

My example undine is some random undine because I have no specific undine character.

My characters do not usually have anime hair, but Folklore Said So.

Although, it is possible for things like sirens and harpies that have bird/fish parts to have colourful pigments as their animal counterparts do.

all characters, etc (c) Alicia L. Wright (me)